Nationals’ candidate for the 2019 State Election for the Seat of Barwon, Gilgandra businessman Andrew Schier, says he’s loves travelling.
Mr Schier is planning on doing plenty of travelling in the lead up to the next State election to get out and speak to as many voters as he can across the Barwon electorate.
He also hopes he’ll be doing a lot more travelling around the electorate if he is elected.
Mr Schier was in Cobar last week to attend a meet and greet session at the Cobar Bowling & Golf Club to discuss local issues and concerns of Cobar residents.
“There are some infrastructure problems that are limiting further growth to Cobar that need to be looked at,” Mr Schier said.
“I wasn’t aware of the impacts of the supply power, that it was a limitation to business and the expansion of business and the needs of the mines that are required to boost their power usage.
“What I’m passionate about is the investment in, not only infrastructure projects, but investment in people and employment strategies and future training for young people,” he said.
“That when they finish their high school education they’ll get more opportunities from within the town to hopefully keep them in the town so that they can live here and start families here and boost the population.”
Mr Schier said residents also raised concerns about the effects of fly in/fly out and drive in/drive out workers and the possibility of
making legislative change to increase the town’s population and get more people living in town.
Mr Schier said he had noted that Cobar’s population had been decreasing.
“I think it was about 5,600 back 25 years ago and where it is today is something like 3,500.”
Mr Schier said he will further investigate the concerns of one local resident about ambulances; and took on board a suggestion for the construction of a toilet stop on the Kidman Way halfway between Cobar and Bourke.
In his meetings with voters in other towns Mr Schier said he’d come across some contentious issues such as coal seam gas.
“It’s very contentious some communities view it as a positive, and for some towns it’s a real negative,” he said.
“Some towns further south are really focused on their own local issues, like here tonight, which is understandable.
“Because you are remote, you get a feeling that things travel along so slowly.”
Mr Schier intends to return to Cobar this Friday and Saturday to attend the Cobar Races and he’s hoping to meet and chat with lots more local residents.
